


The Exuberance of Youth

by an_endeavor



Series: Here's Hoping [2]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Dating AU, F/M, Fluff, early years, young melinda and phil
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-28
Updated: 2018-06-20
Packaged: 2019-05-14 21:16:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14777379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/an_endeavor/pseuds/an_endeavor
Summary: The Prequel to Here's Hoping (but can be read as a stand alone)Melinda decided to give dating other agents a try, taking Phil up on his offer to get a drink. It goes better than either could have imagined.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! Thanks so much for your support on the first part of this series! This became bigger than I thought so now it has multiple chapters. Young Phil and Melinda are so cute, so I thought I'd use them and give you guys a break from all the angst. Anyways, it's basically pure fluff so I hope you like it!

_Some Time Ago._

“So about that drink you mentioned.” Melinda broached the subject while she and Phil were alone. 

It had been a some time since Phil had originally brought it up. Since then she and Andrew decided to not take things any further. They liked each other but decided friendship was the only relationship they wanted from each other. She waited a little longer before telling Phil, she knew he would remember his offer and her agreement, and she didn’t want him to be a rebound if they were going to do this. Sure enough, when she did get around to mentioning it, he knew exactly what she was talking about. 

“I take it things didn’t work out?”

“Andrew was great but we wanted different things. We decided we were better off as friends.” 

“Oh I see.” He replied a little awkwardly. He didn’t want to be presumptuous. 

“So I’m going out on a mission, it’s supposed to be a little over a month. Maybe when I get back we could talk about it.”

“We should.” He agreed, smiling at her forwardness.

\-----

“You know, it’s cute when you’re nervous,” she teased, smiling brightly as she eyed the way he was picking at the label on his bottle.

“I’m not nervous.” He tried, hoping he sounded more confident than he felt about his lie. He knew he wasn’t fooling anyone by the pointed look she gave him. 

“I know all your tells Phil, I can tell when you’re lying,” she countered, her tone continuing to carry a light-hearted quality to it. “Come on, it’s just me. I already know you don’t have game and I still decided to get a drink with you. So quit worrying.”

He laughed at that, looking mock-offended. Her good natured jabs served to comfort him. He felt better knowing she wasn’t patronizing him but instead chose to poke fun at him just as she always did. It was her way of telling him they were doing well so far. 

Their date seemed to have gone pretty well. Her jokingly dismissive nature put him at ease. They were already friends, he knew he was allowed to be himself around her. She knew him already. There was no urgent need to impress her by pretending to be someone he wasn’t. 

So, deciding to push his luck further, he reached for her, drawing her closer with a hand at her hip. The other hand moved to tangle in her hair, giving her time to reject his intentions, before he brought his mouth to hers. He felt her smile against his lips before she returned the kiss, deepening it further. When he finally pulled back, breathing heavily, he opened his eyes to find her smiling back at him. 

“I see you’ve been practicing,” she quipped. He knew in the back of his mind she would never let him forget that undercover op. He was nervous then, still a bit nervous now but significantly more confident and comfortable with the woman standing in front of him. 

“See I told you I had game.” 

She snorted at that. “That’s debatable.” 

“But you’re willing to accept that it’s a possibility.” 

“We’ll see,” she conceded for the moment, although not quite giving in, as she rolled her eyes. 

“So I’ll see you at tomorrow morning's meeting.” He added and she laughed at his awkward transition. 

“You will.” 

She couldn’t resist pulling him to her by his jacket lapels for one more kiss before pulling back.

“We should do this again sometime,” she winked and turned to leave, effectively leaving him standing there awestruck for a moment before he recovered. 

So maybe dating another agent wasn’t so bad, as long as that agent was Phil.

\-----

Both Melinda and Phil sighed in relief as they sunk back into the cushions of Melinda’s couch. It was almost eleven and they had just finished their last portion of paperwork. It was finally done after much prompting from Phil and frowning from Melinda.

“See that wasn’t too bad.” Phil said brightly, as if he didn’t notice the way Melinda sunk into the couch with her eyes closed, also choosing to ignore the way she opened one eye to look at him like he was crazy for making that comment. 

“You guys in communications academy must have been wild,” she commented, her words dripping with sarcasm. 

“We just like to get it all done so we can take our time doing other things,” he said in a low tone, taking her hand to bring in up to his lips and press a kiss to it.

“Is that so? Taking your time doing what? Profiling, budget planning?” she joked, unable to keep the smirk off her face as she leaned in close to him.

“Well you know us communications agents, we’re nothing if not thorough,” he quipped back to her, his face inches from hers as he ran his hand up her thigh, revelling in the low giggle that left her before their lips met. 

She had him pushed back against the couch in no time, feeling her heart warm at his excited smile as she hovered her lips over his. 

“Stay,” she whispered, once again pressing a soft kiss to his lips.

“You sure?” 

“Everyone knows you pick me up for work anyway, it’s not like you’d be taking a different route, and you just picked up your dry cleaning so you have clean clothes.”

He couldn’t help but laugh that she was considering their tactical plan at a time like this, as if he needed convincing to stay with her, as if his hands weren’t already wandering. 

“Okay,” he smiled before pulling her fully against him, laughing with her until they became too wrapped up in each other to focus on anything else.

\-----

Months later, it was about seven in the morning on a Saturday and Phil and Melinda were already awake, their internal alarm clocks waking them earlier. The dim light of the morning was just starting to filter into Melinda’s window but they were too distracted to notice. Melinda was focusing on the way Phil’s hand traced down her side and over her hip and Phil was busy paying attention to the way her lips and solid weight felt against him.

They were interrupted by a knock coming from her front door. 

“Are you expecting someone?” He asked, raising his eyebrow, his hands still traveling idly. 

“Maria. She said she’d bring some files by for me.” She sighed against him, giving him one last peck before she got up. 

“Does she know about us?” 

“She probably does now, she knows what your car looks like” she shrugged, pulling on some clothes, “you’re welcome to hide in here if you want,” she winked at him before slipping out of her room and closing the door behind her. 

When she opened the door she could tell Maria knew something by the smirk she had on her face. 

“Hey Maria, come in.” 

“Okay but only for a minute, I wouldn’t want to interrupt anything,” she grinned as she handed Melinda the files, “I saw Lola outside, is Phil here?” 

“Yeah, he’s hiding,” she replied with an amused grin, it felt good to tell someone and she knew it was safe with Maria. 

“Oh Phil! Come out and say hi,” Maria shouted with unnecessary gusto. “How long has this been going on?” She addressed Melinda who shrugged, unphased by Maria’s antics. 

“A while.”

Maria smiled even wider as Phil stepped into the kitchen to join them a minute later with a sheepish expression. 

“Good morning,” he said as he made his way to the kitchen, giving Melinda’s hip a squeeze on the way by. He began making coffee that Melinda kept specifically for him, using it as a way to avoid eye contact. 

“I can’t believe she lets you have coffee here. Whenever I come over I have to drink tea.” Maria complained good-naturedly. Phil only grinned knowingly at her before focusing on his task again. 

“You want anything?” Melinda asked, leaning against the counter. 

“Nah, I gotta go actually. I just wanted to embarrass Phil first.” 

“It’s fun right?” She shot back, running the backs of her fingers over his arm lovingly as he half smiled, the one he used when he felt awkward, and finished putting sugar in his coffee. “But in all seriousness we would appreciate it if you kept this to yourself.”

“Where would the fun be in telling people? I want to see how long you guys can keep it a secret.” They shared a conspiratorial smile, “well anyways, I gotta go, some of us don’t have the day off, let me know if you need anything else, I’ll let myself out. Bye Phil.” She couldn’t help herself to one last tease. 

She heard him sigh before letting out a tired, “Bye Maria,” on her way out. 

Phil turned to Melinda with a tired expression. “You did that on purpose.” 

“No,” she didn’t bother to hide the smirk forcing its way onto her face, “but I did take advantage of it.” 

“Well I’m glad my discomfort amuses you,” he commented in mock irritation. 

“At least I didn’t tell Barton.”

“You did that for your own sanity, as well as my own, we’ll never hear the end of it when he eventually finds out.” 

“Okay, let’s have a wager then,” she began and Phil rolled his eyes, she was queen of silent wagers, but let her continue, “first one to let it slip, does paperwork for a month.” 

“Deal.” He knew full well that even if he won that bet, he would still end up helping her finish their paperwork, she could sweet talk him into almost anything, but the idea of purposefully keeping them a secret from Barton amused him. 

With that, they shook hands, holding their grip as they leaned in to seal it with a kiss. It had become their unspoken handshake when it came to deals, one that both amused and excited them, trying to secretly execute it in public, smiling at each other when they succeeded, explaining it away as a weird partner quirk whenever they got caught, which was very rare.

\-----

It had been nearly a month since Melinda was sent out on her mission and Phil had really begun to realize how much he loved her presence in his life. No one made fun of him with quite as much skill as she did and he didn’t want anyone else to make him feel the way she did when it was late and they were alone. He missed her. They had been dating a few months shy of a year and he missed the familiar rhythm they had when they weren’t interrupted with separate missions.

So when she finally called him to tell him she was back, he invited her over without hesitation. It didn’t matter how late it was, he just wanted her physically close, even if it was just to sleep. She must have felt the same way because she quickly agreed before hanging up. Not long after, because Melinda had a habit of driving much faster than necessary, he heard his lock turn and the door open before closing quietly. She didn’t leave audible footsteps but he kept his eyes on the doorframe, feeling his body relax when she appeared. She looked exhausted but still managed to give him a sleepy smile and “hey” in return to his as she made her way into his room. 

She didn’t bother to go through with her night time routine. Instead she stripped down to her underwear and threw on one of his t-shirts, not caring that she could feel his eyes on her the whole time. When she turned around, he was already holding the blankets open for her and she easily slid into bed, curling into his chest. 

“Do you want to talk about how your mission went?”

She hummed a negative response. “Too tired. Tell me about yours.” She responded, sleep heavily clouding her voice. She burrowed further into him, tucking her legs into his as she exhaled, allowing her muscles to relax. 

His mission had been much shorter. Just a local retrieval that only lasted a few days. Most of his time was spent dealing with paperwork and smoothing over legalities. Still, he began recounting the story of how it went as he soothingly traced his fingers over her spine, making sure to emphasize the funnier moments. 

She hummed amiably throughout his recount, too tired to let out a full laugh. She missed him while she was away too. She missed his jokes and the comments he had when they worked together. He was just getting to the climax of his story, telling the tale of how he saved Barton from an old lady threatening to beat him with her purse, when she suddenly felt an overwhelming feeling of love for him. 

She knew it was on its way to her, that feeling. She could feel tiny hints of affection any time he would speak excitedly about something or grace her with that tiny bashful smile he saved just for her or when he had tea waiting for her when she got to his apartment. But the feeling she felt as she snuggled in closer to him was one that needed to be voiced and she was never one to deny her instincts. 

“I love you.” She sighed, amused at the way he stopped mid story to determine if he heard her right, subconsciously tilting closer to her. 

“What?” Was his great response. 

“You heard me.” She confirmed, smiling into his chest. 

“Yeah?” His voice had gone soft, layered with something that sounded close to wonder. “I love you too.” He smiled into her hair, placing a kiss there. 

“Good, now finish telling me about Barton getting beat with a purse.” 

He chuckled and continued telling his story, running his hand over her back once again. It wasn’t long before her breathing evened out and sleep finally claimed her.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phil and Melinda move in together and deal with the quirks that come with their new apartment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, sorry for the delay and thank you for your patience. Thanks to everyone who liked and commented on the last chapter. It's so nice to get such wonderful feedback! I hope you all like it!

After setting the last box down in their new apartment Phil laid on the floor, sprawled out on his back, somewhat resembling a starfish. Melinda pointed that out, making fun of his exhaustion, to which he agreed was an accurate analogy because he claimed he too was stuck to the floor and refused to get up. 

The decision to move in together wasn’t a difficult one, they practically had functional wardrobes at each other’s places already, trading off where they would stay. Finding an apartment was a bit more challenging. It needed to be close to work but far enough to where they felt they could relax, not worrying that work would follow them home. Their constant, busy schedule made it difficult as well. It left them whispering vaguely to each other about it while they were working, during lulls in their missions, acting as if they weren’t saying anything suspicious whenever their coworkers were present. 

When they had finally settled on their apartment, they could hardly contain their excitement, Phil having a harder time than Melinda. Even Fury, Phil’s S.O., noticed and raised his eyebrow in their direction, looking to Melinda for an answer. She just shrugged and he nodded as if that was a proper explanation. She was sure he knew already, even if they were going to tell him soon. 

So in their new apartment, Melinda chose to lay on the floor next to him, pressed against his side, her head pillowed by his arm. 

“So,” she started in a tone Phil was very familiar with, it was the one that instantly sent a warm feeling through him, “should we start unpacking or should we wait until later?” Her intentions of waiting to pack were clear from the way her fingers traced lazy circles over his chest. 

“I dunno, we could start now, have it done quicker,” he teased, his arm already curling around her, his fingers caressing her arm. He fully understood her meaning and truly had no intention of unpacking. 

Both broke their fake-serious composure when her soft chuckle filled the silence. 

She shifted so she was lying half on top of him and brushed her lips over his. 

“I love you,” he sighed once she pulled back, brushing her hair behind her ear, enjoying the content smile on her face. He brought his lips back to hers and wrapped his arms tightly around her, not caring that they were laying in the middle of their apartment floor surrounded by boxes that needed unpacking. They had more important things to do at that moment.

\-----

“Hey man so I was thinking,”

Phil tried really hard not to sigh outwardly at his neighbor addressing him, he really did. 

“What were you thinking, Travis?”

“Well I noticed you’re always with that total hottie, Melinda. I was wondering if you could put in a good word for me?” 

“Melinda as in the woman I live with? Sure, I’ll tell her you’re interested.” Why try explaining it to him at this point? He thought to himself, relatively amused. That poor boy had probably fried his brain with his “drug collection” as he likes to call it when he flaunts it. 

“Thanks man. I owe you one.” 

“Don’t mention it.” Phil commented over his shoulder as he turned to head up to their apartment. 

When he walked in he understood why his neighbor suddenly made his request. He found Melinda sitting crossed legged on the floor in front of the fan. Their air conditioning had been broken for a while now and their landlords had no intention of fixing it. He could see a thin sheen of sweat glistening over her body which was mostly exposed because she was only wearing a sports bra and short shorts. 

He walked behind her and settled his hand on her shoulder, brushing her damp hair off her neck before he leaned down to press a kiss there. 

“You’re distracting our neighbors.” He whispered into her ear before standing up again, the heat finally becoming to much for the clothes he was wearing. She chuckled at his comment. It wasn’t her fault it was so hot. She had the window wide open to let in the faint breeze and that apparently gave them a view. 

“How so?” 

“Travis asked me to put in a good word for him with you.” He recounted amusedly, rolling up his sleeves, having already removed his coat and tie. 

“Do you think he realizes our apartment only has one bedroom?” 

“I don’t think he thinks that far ahead. Scoot over.” He sat down in front of the fan next to her, the heat already creeping up on him. 

“This is ridiculous,” she sighed.

“Well there’s really nothing we can do but wait for them to fix it,” he said, instantly regretting his words when he saw that familiar glint in her eye. It was supposed to be a statement, not a challenge. 

“You know, if you help me break into it, I can probably fix it, I just need you to stand watch.” 

“On our night off?” 

“Oh come on it’ll be fun.”

“I guess.” He responded, shaking his head fondly, a slight apprehensiveness still there. 

“You’ll be glad we did it when you wake up tomorrow to cool air.” She smiled, bumping his shoulder with hers. 

When he woke up the next morning, wearing only shorts, the covers still at the end of the bed, he realized he was cold. He instantly pulled Melinda closer, seeking out her warmth, before he realized he was cold because the air was on. 

“I told you,” Melinda mumbled into his neck, not even bothering to open her eyes as she hugged him closer.

\-----

“Now that wasn’t nice,” he whispered, his face inches from Melinda’s as he watched Travis trudge off, clearly emitting the feeling of betrayal. He couldn’t bring himself to make his voice sound serious and he couldn’t really get the smile off his face either.

He was surprised when Melinda abruptly turned towards him to kiss him thoroughly while they were in the middle of their apartment complex’s hallway. He didn’t complain though, instead he quickly responded, pulling her closer to him, enjoying the spontaneity of the moment. It wasn’t often they allowed themselves moments like that in public. They were interrupted by a disgruntled sound. Phil broke the kiss to look for the origin of the sound, quickly learning it was Travis, while Melinda choose to rest her forehead against his chest, hiding her smile. 

“Well he was going to find out eventually.” Melinda didn’t sound the slightest bit apologetic, nor did she look it. “Better sooner rather than later.”

“How considerate of you,” he commented sarcastically before leaning in to press another kiss to her lips, taking her hand and heading up to their apartment.

“I thought so.”

\-----

It felt good to be home from their mission. Phil found that, despite his early griping about her encroaching on his missions, he was constantly grateful to have Melinda at his side. Especially when one of their missions went sideways, that particular mission being one of them. He greatly appreciated her calm and collected nature when they found themselves in a less than ideal situation, one that he couldn’t talk his way out of. Someone had tipped their target off before they could get out and they found themselves surrounded. Naturally, Melinda took point.

She had taken a few hits, which was to be expected when it was five against one, leaving her ribs sore and hip bruised. So when she felt Phil’s hands slide over her ribs she couldn’t help but inhale sharply, nearly flinching away from him. She heard him sigh behind her, most likely for her not informing anyone of her injuries, choosing to hide them rather than get them looked at. She didn’t see the point in saying anything, she hated the med bay and all they would do is give her drugs that she wouldn’t take because they made her feel fuzzy.

“Let me see.” He said softly.

“Phil, it’s fine, just a few bumps and bruises.”

She knew he didn’t believe her by the way he raised his eyebrow before composing himself, still speaking unnecessarily soft, “Please?”

She rolled her eyes at his relentless request but obliged him anyway, allowing him to carefully lift her shirt to reveal a bruise at her ribs. 

“They look fractured,” he commented, gently prodding at the already darkening skin. “Anywhere else?”

She sighed and shook her head as she unzipped her pants, shimmying them down to reveal quite a large bruise at her hip. “Just this.” She responded as if it was nothing and, compared to injuries she’s gotten before, it was nothing. 

“So you’re okay then?” He asked with concern in his voice, very lightly grazing his fingers over the bruise.

She cocked her head to the side, giving him a pointed look. 

“Of course you are,” he smiled. “Well if you’re not going to tell anyone at least tell me. I don’t want to keep finding out you’re hurt because I accidentally touched an injury or brushed over it the wrong way. I’ll do the same. Deal?” 

She frowned at him, seeing the determination in his eyes, “Deal.”

She sighed when he stuck his hand out. She thought he was being ridiculous but she would allow him that, taking his hand in her own, she shook it and pressed her lips to his, rolling her eyes at the way he was smiling when she pulled back. 

“You want to help me?” She asked, gesturing to her shirt. “I may actually have one more to show you. It's just a graze.” 

“Melinda.” He sighed, he really wished she would stop hiding it any time she got hurt. 

“What? I’m telling you now aren’t I?” She countered. 

“You’re right,” he conceded, caressing her cheek, chuckling at the challenging way she said her last comment. An outsider would have thought he was asking her to pull her own tooth out from the way she agreed to their deal and, in all honesty, he believed she may have actually responded better to the request for her tooth. “Well, let’s see it,” he reached for her shirt, very carefully lifting it over her head to reveal a cut at her shoulder, trying his best not to make a face. 

The love Melinda carried for the man who stood in front of her was unquestionable, even with all his incessant and unnecessary worry. He was the only person she would allow to fuss over her, even if she complained and rolled her eyes while he was doing so. She could trust him to patch her up and not make a big deal about it’s severity, he knew her too well for that. 

It was a level of trust he had earned over the years as their relationship developed and one he granted her as well. She felt a hint of pride mixed with excitement at how well their relationship had developed, especially given her aversion to dating agents in the beginning or even more importantly, because their work relationship had really only grown stronger rather than having the opposite effect she initially worried about. She could tell Phil felt the same from the look he gave her as she traced her fingers up and down his arm while he inspected her shoulder. Both looked forward to and found excitement in the future they had together and it was a relief to them both.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter was definitely more challenging for me with finding a good balance and making it flow. I'm very excited for next chapter! It involves the proposal and marriage and I'm very fond of it!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A question is asked and a plan is executed.

It was early, before anyone else had ventured into the gym, and they were sparring. It was something they always did, for practice, for fun. They had been going for a while, really working up a sweat. They switched easily back and forth between flirting with each other and throwing serious blows for the other to defend. May sometimes managed to do both, which was something Coulson found very attractive. 

She had swiped his legs out from under him, effectively knocking him on his back to the ground. She was on top of him before he could blink, her knees on either side of him. There were obvious reasons why she was the specialist and he was not and this was one of them. Her fist was poised in the air, ready to give the striking blow and he couldn’t keep the words from passing through his lips. 

“Marry me.” He exhaled dreamily, still breathing heavily from exerting himself during their session. 

She quickly glanced around the room to make sure no one was present before she leaned over him, meeting his lips with hers. She kissed him slowly, lovingly, taking her time with him to kiss him thoroughly. 

“Okay,” she whispered against his lips, unable to keep from smiling when she felt his own smile form against her. 

Phil was both overjoyed and relieved. He had agonized for days over figuring out how he should ask her or when he should ask her. It had gotten to the point where Melinda almost brought it up on her own but she waited. She wanted to see how long it would take him. She loved that he cared so much about things like that so she allowed him to bring it up in his own time, for it to be his idea. Also it both amused and endeared her to see him stress so much about it. 

He hadn’t planned on asking her just then. It had just tumbled out without his permission but he could never, would never, regret his timing. As soon as the words came out, it felt right. 

“Don’t think that’s going to work next time I beat you,” she teased once they were up and facing each other again. 

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” he smiled before lunging at her once again.

\-----

“You should see the new recruits coming in, they are some fine looking ladies. I wouldn’t mind being partnered with one of them.” Blonski commented.

“What makes you think she’d want anything to do with you?” May countered, a smirk playing at her lips. 

“Oh please, partners always end up hooking up, at least once.”

“That’s an interesting theory.” She commented while Phil raised his eyebrows, looking surprised. 

“Oh come on, you guys became partners straight out of the academy. You’re telling me you’ve never even hooked up once?” 

“Yeah Blonski, we’ve been together for a few years now. We’re even getting married next month. We’ve been doing it right under your nose this whole time and like to joke about how unobservant you are.” Melinda deadpanned with a sarcastic edge, her expression making it clear she thought he was being ridiculous, even if she was actually telling the truth. He loved that about Melinda, how calm she was under pressure. It set people off balance which he found both amusing and convenient. 

“Okay, okay, I get it. You guys are strictly professional,” he said exasperatedly, throwing his hands up as if he had been scolded. “Jeez Coulson, how do you handle that all the time?” 

“Ya know, I don’t seem to have any problems with May like you do. She must like me better.” He shrugged, smiling with amusement.

\-----

They could both feel excitement buzz through them at they sat and waited for the justice of the peace to call them in. They were pressed to each other’s sides. Melinda's hand had found its way into Phil's as she rested her head on his shoulder, stroking his arm with her free hand.

“You nervous?” She asked, not moving from her position. 

“Yes.” It was probably the first time he had ever answered that question honestly but he couldn't bring himself to lie about it now, not when he was about to vow to share every part of his life with her. 

“Don’t be. It’s just me,” she replied, echoing her words from their first date, words that had comforted him both then and now. 

He took comfort in the way she turned to press a kiss to his cheek before returning to her original position. She always seemed so sure they were in the right place and never made him feel uncomfortable about his nervousness. Even now that they had been together and were about to get married she still had the same effect on him. 

“I’m not nervous about you.” He reassured, squeezing her hand, “I’m just nervous I’ll stutter or pause and ruin it somehow.” He felt her chuckle at that. 

“The only way it could be ruined is if we walk out and aren’t married.” 

And they were fine, much more than fine actually. He felt his whole body warm with elation at the way she maintained his gaze with reverence as they exchanged vows. She couldn’t help but smile into their kiss when they were finally and officially married. They were so excited to start their lives together that they barely were able to stand still long enough to get their picture taken. It was a picture that they would treasure in their later years, looking back at how free and happy they were, back on a time where they found that they gained more than they lost. 

“And you barely even stuttered,” she teased as they drove back, taking her hand off the wheel to hold his. 

“I saw you get misty eyed back there too,” he shot back, bringing her hand to his lips. 

“Yeah, well, I’ll keep your secret if you keep mine.” 

“Deal.” 

She took her eyes off the road to meet his gaze, feeling a sense of contentment at the way his eyes reflected the love she felt back to her.

\-----

They had a week to themselves after they eloped and were taking full advantage of it in an isolated beach house somewhere off the coast of Maui. It was late and she had just swung her leg over his hips, her lips hovering over his, as her hands trailed down his chest when they heard a thud at their door.

Knowing there was no civilization for a few miles in any direction, Melinda grabbed the knife hidden in the drawer and headed to the door after nodding to Phil. She nearly dropped the knife when she opened the door.

“I see you plan on adding a real knife to the metaphorical one you stabbed into my heart when you two ran off to get married without inviting me, Melinda,” her mother, Lian, lamented as she pushed her way into the room, “Hello Phil.”

Phil cowered closer to Melinda, half next to and half behind her, as he greeted her mother who wondered further into the house. He knew she had a terrifying reputation with the CIA and he really didn’t want to know what her wrath looked like in person.

“Mom, we were going to tell you as soon as we got back, we just-” Melinda cut herself short, looking frustratedly at the ground, after her mother put her hand up to silence her. 

“I’m sure you were. You just wanted to exclude your family from this celebration, if I understand correctly.” She added in the guilt inducing tone that only served to frustrate Melinda at that point in her life. 

“Would you like some tea?” Phil asked to diffuse the tension, simultaneously rubbing Melinda’s back to relax her. 

He could tell Lian knew what he was doing from the way she squinted her eyes, studying him, before she conceded. 

“Yes Phil that would be nice.” 

She and Melinda had gone to sit in the living room and when he brought them tea he could see that Melinda’s shoulders had tensed just a fraction. It happened anytime they discussed something Melinda did that her mother didn’t approve of, like joining SHIELD or, apparently, eloping. 

They had a tense and idle chat for a bit longer before she headed towards the door. 

“Don’t bother asking me to stay, I know I’m not wanted here, I have a place already.” she stated when Phil started to speak again, “I expect to have you two over for dinner when you get back.” she threw over her shoulder after saying their goodbyes and heading out the door. 

“Well, that went well,” he commented dryly as Melinda turned to rest her head against his chest in defeat, “at least I’m still in one piece.”

“You’re lucky she likes you, besides I would have protected you.” She teased, running her hands up under his shirt. 

“I know,” his tone warm and certain as he dragged her back to their bedroom to finish what they started.

\-----

Their first mission back from their honeymoon had not gone as planned, as per usual. Sometimes she felt like their superiors enjoyed throwing them into missions that lacked important parts like exit plans or time windows to actually get their mission done. This mission was no different. She woke up feeling a little confused and disoriented. The last thing she remembered was getting thrown out a window. Before she even opened her eyes she reached for whatever was causing the annoying pinch in her arm, ready to tug at whatever it was. Before she could execute her plan, a hand caught her wrist.

“Leave it in.” It was Phil’s voice, _good_ , she thought, at least she wasn’t being tortured by an enemy. She glowered as she took in her surroundings, irritated that she was stuck in a Med bay room with an IV in her arm. She hated feeling trapped and whatever drugs they had her on made her feel fuzzy. 

“How do you feel?” Phil asked, staring at her worriedly as he moved to tuck her hair behind her ear. 

“Like I got pushed out a window.” She deadpanned. “What happened after that? I think I blacked out after I hit the pavement.” 

She saw him wince a little at her statement. 

“I got the file and then I found you and carried you back and now here we are.” 

“I think it’s time to go, I hate being drugged and in the Med bay.”

“You know I would help break you out if I didn’t think you needed to be here.” He commented, reaching over to squeeze her hand, the uninjured one.

“You always think I need to be here when I’m here,” she muttered bitterly but her tone was countered by the way she flipped her hand to twine their fingers together. 

“Because you do,” he countered, bringing her hand to his lips. His hand was quickly out of hers and they composed themselves as they heard the door handle turn. 

“It’s just me,” It was Maria who popped in and Phil allowed himself to take Melinda’s hand again. 

“So we’re good then?” Melinda questioned, allowing Phil to help her sit up slowly, she was still fuzzy from whatever drugs they put her on. 

“Yep, all evidence that an 0-8-4 existed in Sante Fe is gone.”

“Good, I hated it there,” she laid back and closed her eyes again, choosing to ignore the quiet chuckles coming from both Maria and Phil. 

“So, married huh?” Maria said and Melinda smiled at feeling Phil squeeze her hand, not bothering to open her eyes. 

“I gotta say guys, I’m impressed, you’ve been together for years and hardly anyone knows still. It’s especially impressive because Phil never stops talking about you.” 

Melinda opened one eye and turned her head groggily to look at him. A slight blush had creeped up Phil’s neck. 

“I don’t say it’s you,” he whispered sheepishly. 

“You should hear him May,” Maria mused, “it’s my wife this and oh I can’t wait to tell my wife that.” 

“Thought it was strange when O’Brien made a comment about me being the other woman. Makes sense now,” she commented, closing her eyes again. Those drugs were really pulling her down. 

“Alright well I’ll leave you guys alone. Good job.” Maria said before she turned and left, chuckling at Melinda’s previous statement. 

“Thanks for saving my ass back there,” Phil whispered, running his thumb over his wife’s knuckles. 

The corner of her mouth pulled upwards to form a sleepy smile. 

“Of course, someone’s gotta keep you safe.” She mumbled, her words had begun to slur from tiredness. 

“Sleep,” he whispered, “I’ll be here when you wake up.” 

With one last faint squeeze of her hand, Melinda allowed sleep to finally claim her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys liked it! Thanks again for all your wonderful comments!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phil and Melinda settle into marriage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit of a time hop, well more than usual, with this one because, as you can see the end surpasses the beginning of the first chapter of Here’s Hoping, I couldn’t help myself.  
> Sorry for the delay, I had five tests in the past two weeks and I had to rewrite a section.

_Some years later._

“It’s so nice here, so quiet.” he whispered, not wanting to break the tranquility that the quiet brought along with it. He took a deep breath, really allowing his ribs to expand as he laid on his back, his arm tucked behind his head. It was their first morning in their new house and they couldn’t be happier. There weren’t sirens blasting or neighbors shouting, it was just them lying peacefully as the dim light of morning began to filter through their window. 

Melinda hummed in agreement, turning so she could press herself to his side, resting her head on his chest. She wasn’t quite ready to speak, not ready to be the reason the serenity of the morning was broken. She knew Phil was trying his best to do the same but it was harder for him, he always spoke to fill the space, to put everyone at ease and, although he enjoyed the silence, it didn’t come as easy to him as it did Melinda, who could, and would, speak in only looks for any amount of time. 

She smiled a little at the way he choose to filter his unspoken words out by fidgeting. He first curled his arm around her and began tracing his fingers lightly up and down her arm which eventually transitioned to him toying with her fingers on the hand that rested on his chest, tracing the outline of each. He smoothed her hand back out on his chest before picking it up again and interlacing and unlacing his own fingers with hers in a repetitive, absent minded motion. She didn't mind really. It was a quirk of his she had come to love, one that reassured her he was still just as antsy to talk to her as he was when they first started dating, still trying his best to let the silence she used to relax to remain before their morning truly started. 

She finally squeezed his hand, holding it in place before she took a deep breath, drawing her breath in and then out at an exaggerated capacity, hoping to exhale the rest of the sleepiness away. 

“Alright, we’ve got a lot of work to do on the house if we want it done before we ship out Monday.” She commented, sitting up.

Phil responded with a slight groan, he hadn’t wanted to spend his day off doing work on the house but he knew she was right.

“Oh come on,” she started her bribe, leaning over him as she spoke, “we can even go and pick up donuts from that place you keep eyeing before we start.” She leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to his lips, knowing she had him with the donut offer when she pulled back. 

“Okay fine,” he sighed before sitting up and throwing his legs over the edge of the bed, a teasing glint in his eye, “but only because we’re getting donuts first.”

\-----

When Barton entered the locker room, the first thing he saw was Coulson and May mid-kiss before they pulled back, smiling at each other.

“How you guys have managed to keep your marriage a secret for this long, I’ll never understand,” he commented, shaking his head at their open display of affection.

“Oh relax, Barton,” Natasha teased, clapping her hand over his shoulder, after she appeared seemingly out of nowhere, “that’s their ‘seal it with a kiss’ kiss, not their ‘we’re together’ kiss. Although, I personally don’t understand how anyone would accept that as a platonic gesture.”

He was too busy busting them to notice their clasped hands in front of them. He accepted it a long time ago as a weird quirk that whenever they made bets or deals with each other they would “seal it with a kiss” as Natasha had began calling it. They claimed it was a way to ensure the other was serious and Clint couldn’t help but cringe every time he saw it, knowing half the time they were keeping quiet about a prank they were playing on him, not that he couldn’t hold his own, thank you very much. 

“Wait, how did you find out they’re together?” Clint questioned, realizing what she had said, clearly confused and concerned that he was the last one to find out. 

“I even knew that they got married long before you did.” Romanov replied, her trademark smirk pulling at her lips.

He turned to May and Coulson who were clearly making no attempt to hide their amusement from him, “you guys told her and not me?” he almost whined.

“We didn’t tell her.” May shrugged, clearly enjoying Barton’s exasperation.

“Oh come on, it was obvious,” Natasha mused, “didn’t you think it was strange that they both got married around the same time? Or that Coulson’s wife sounded mysteriously like May or that they always sort of smell like each other?” 

“I dunno Nat, I don’t spend my time smelling Coulson.” He replied sarcastically, “besides I just assumed they got married at the same time so they could be each other’s best man and take off the same time, because we all know that’s what would have happened.” 

“Not to mention, the way they look at each other after missions, or that they do flight checks together even though Coulson has absolutely no clue about planes. I thought you were supposed to be a spy.” She teased. 

“Um ew, I’m never going near the cockpit again,” he chose to focus on that part of her reasoning.

“Oh calm down Barton, there’s plenty of other places we could have been on the plane besides the cockpit, you should be safe there.” Melinda couldn’t help but comment, seeing that Phil looked as amused as she felt at the face Barton made in disgust at her words. 

“Aw, don’t feel too bad about it Barton, you probably would have found out sooner if they hadn’t made a bet to see who could keep it from you the longest.” Natasha snickered, clearly amused with the entire situation at Clint’s expense. 

“After this mission, we’re drinking and you guys are buying for driving me to this, and I don’t even want to know what deal you guys just made before I walked in, just let it be a surprise,” he huffed before making his way to the armory to get ready to ship out. Romanov winked as she walked past, she knew what their plan was and it was a good one.

\-----

“Did you hear that they brought Andrew on as a consulting psychologist?” He asked casually as they were getting ready for work one day.

“Yeah,” she answered from the bathroom, finishing her makeup, “I recommended him.” 

“Huh.” Was all he answered. He liked Andrew. They had all become friends after their initial awkward meeting with Andrew and his then girlfriend, now wife. He could tell why Melinda initially dated him but was definitely happy they decided to stay friends and not move forward with anything else. 

Still, it was nice to have non-work friends, even if one had dated his wife. He liked being able to be Melinda’s husband around other people rather than just her work partner and not holding back their quiet affection. He liked that he could hold Melinda’s hand or throw his arm around her without worrying if they looked too suspicious. 

Besides, he knew he could trust Melinda. She was never one to avoid the truth in matters like that. He knew when she told him they went out to dinner or had a meeting it was just that. But still he thought about how differently things could have turned out. 

“What’s with the ‘huh’?” She questioned, entering their room again, “I thought you liked Andrew.” 

“Of course I do. It’s just strange to think how differently things could have turned out. You guys could have stayed together and we would have stayed just partners.” 

She softened at hearing his thoughts, stepping in front of him to straighten his tie, “Yeah but we didn’t. I married you and it’s you I come home to every night.” She reached up on her toes to place a soft kiss to his lips, the kind that still made his heart flutter. “Now come on, hurry up, we’re going to be late for work if we don’t get going soon.” She said returning to her normal tone, smiling as she turned out of his hold.

\-----

Phil couldn’t recall how long he’d been in interrogation for. The room was dark and silent, no windows were present to hint at the hour. He assumed it had been a while because he noticed a shift change from the time he fell asleep to when he woke up again. They were wearing head to toe black and their faces were covered but their heights were different and their eyes were just barely visible. He began rambling nonsense again when he was prompted to talk, a tactic he had perfected early on in his career. He noticed the way his captors had begun to tire of his talking, their feet shuffling, their weight shifting from side to side. It was good to know he still had it, the skill of spewing endless conversation without saying anything of use. It had been a while since he had done that type of mission but he matched the personnel description so there he sat, hands and feet bound to a chair in the middle of a room, a little too typical villain style for his taste which he did in fact point out to his captors.

He had really begun to like the guard on the far end who remained still in place, their arms crossed over their chest the entire time. The only motion said guard engaged in was rolling their eyes at his words. Every so often one of the guards would get bored and take a swing at him, he knew he was going to be feel all of it whenever he got out, but the guard on the end stayed back, out of his view, never showing interest in him. 

After a while the stationary guard shifted, it seemed like they were putting something in their ears before they finally wandered over towards him and circled him as if surveying him as an intimidation technique. That would be if he hadn’t felt the guard tap his shoulder and run their fingers over his neck. He knew that move. It was so familiar and now the way the guard remained so still and only rolled their eyes finally made sense. He probably would have caught on sooner if he was in better shape but an extended interrogation left him feeling a bit sluggish. It wasn’t a guard. It was Melinda. A second later she was kicking his chair to the floor, him along with it, throwing herself over him. She covered his ears and pulled his face into her chest to cover his eyes just before a flash grenade went off, blinding the guards in the room. 

“Hi, honey,” she smiled, uncovering her face and unplugging her ears before she cut the ties at his hands, “can you hear me?” she asked, pressing the knife into his hands after he nodded, “cut yourself free,” she added before she got up, attacking the nearest guard. 

He felt stiff from being tied to the chair so it took him longer than it should have to free himself. He assumed Melinda would make fun of him later for being able to deal with the guards in the same amount of time it took to cut himself free. 

As they made their way down the hall he had really begun to feel all the hits he took while was being interrogated. Melinda was carrying most of his weight, pressed into his side with his arm slung over her shoulders. 

“You couldn’t have broken me out before they started using me as a punching bag?” He complained, even though she knew he wasn’t truly upset, it was just part of the mission. 

“Oh stop whining, I got you out didn’t I?” She commented, essentially propping him up against the wall to scope out the next hall. 

He heard a few thuds and grunts and then a body being dragged across the floor before Melinda returned. He would be lying if he said he wasn’t a bit in awe at her efficiency. 

“Let’s get you out of here,” she said as she quickly transferred his weight back onto her, leading him down the hall. 

Later that week Phil sat stiffly at the dinner table in Mrs. May’s house. Melinda had offered to cancel considering he was still stiff and complaining around the house but he insisted they go, he hated to make a bad impression. 

It still hurt to reach his arms out so he was grateful for the way Melinda began pushing things closer to him on the table, his silverware, his plate, the salt. He wondered if she was doing it subconsciously or not because she never broke conversation with her mother the entire time. 

“Melinda, why do you keep fussing?” It was Lian who finally pointed it out, directing her gaze at Melinda’s hand which paused in place on his glass. 

“Huh? Oh,” she said as if she just realized what she was doing, “I’m just pushing things closer, Phil has a few broken ribs, our last mission was a little rough.” 

“More than a little, I’d say.” She commented, taking in the cut above his eye which was complemented by a bruise and split lip, as well as the bruises covering his hands. 

“I’m fine, nothing a little recovery time won’t fix.”

“Well you better hurry up. My grandchildren won’t get here any sooner.” 

“Mom,” Melinda sighed, putting her face in her hand, she definitely didn’t miss her mother’s bluntness. 

“I’m just saying, Melinda, children don’t appear by magic and most couples that have been married as long as you two have are already sending their children to school by now.”

“We told you, we wanted to wait until we were in more of a position to oversee missions before we raised a child.” 

Phil for his part felt a slight blush creep up his neck, he knew she knew they were thinking about having children but his mother-in-law alluding to the process to make children made him uncomfortable. He still tapped his foot against Melinda’s reassuringly under the table, when her shoulders began to tense slightly. 

Her mother looked skeptical but eventually relented after a few more small comments. 

That was definitely a conversation he was happy to have end. 

“Well, your Mom seems very eager for a grandkid,” Phil commented as they were getting ready for bed, having returned home. 

“I think pushy is the word you’re looking for.” Melinda shot back, reentering their bedroom, face washed and pajamas on. 

“I can’t say that I blame her,” he smiled as he stopped in front of her, running his hands over her sides. He moved to draw her closer, but instead winced at the twinge in his side eliciting a soft smile from his wife. 

“I think we can wait a little longer.” Her words were soft as she gently ran the backs of her fingers over his cheek. “We have time,” she assured him before she raised herself up on her toes to give him a tender kiss. 

“These ribs could not heal any faster.” 

“Patience,” she teased, leaning in closer and tracing her fingers lightly over his chest. 

He couldn’t help the groan that escaped him before he rested his forehead against hers. “You’re not making this easier for me.”

“I know,” her voice sounded clearly amused which complimented the mischievous glint in her eyes well. “But as soon as you heal, we’ve got work to do.” She leaned in for another kiss, making sure to keep her weight off of him, her chest just barely making contact with his. 

“I love you,” he sighed contently when they finally parted. It was exciting, planning his future with Melinda. She was his best friend, his wife, his confidant, and, he hoped eventually, she would become the mother of his child. They had a long way to go and he wasn’t sure exactly where their future was heading but he knew that as long as Melinda was by his side, they would be just fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was fun to write! I had never really written fluff before which was a whole new challenge. As you can see, I added Andrew in there with a different dynamic for later in the story (the whole inhuman part). I tried to keep them light and happy in their youth so I hope you all liked it. Thanks to everyone who stuck with me and left comments and kudos!!


End file.
